MLL News and Notes: June 1

Kimmel led the Bayhawks to their second straight win by scoring four goals with two assists in a 14-10 victory over the Nationals, earning Bud Light Player of the Game honors. A second-year player from Johns Hopkins University, Kimmel is the Bayhawks’ leading scorer with six goals and three assists. With nine points in two games, he ranks third in the league.

Defensive Player of the Week
Jesse Schwartzman, Denver Outlaws

Schwartzman helped the Outlaws earn their second straight win with a 13-12 come-from-behind victory over the Boston Cannons on Saturday night at Harvard Stadium. He made 12 saves and allowed just seven goals in the first three quarters before coming out of the game in place of Adam Fullerton, who played the final 15 minutes. In two games this season for the Outlaws, Schwartzman has posted an 8.94 goals against average while stopping 62.5 per cent of the shots he has faced.

Cascade Rookie of the Week
Jeremy Boltus, Hamilton Nationals

After recording an assist in his MLL debut against Denver two weeks ago, Boltus scored two goals in the Nationals’ 14-10 loss against Chesapeake. He scored a power-play goal midway through the second quarter before adding an unassisted goal in the third quarter to trim the Nationals’ deficit to 9-6.

MLL News and Notes

ROAD WARRIORS: After losing all three games during the opening weekend of MLL play, the road team won all three games in Week 2 while spoiling a pair of teams’ home opener. While Denver rallied to edge Boston by a one-point margin, Chesapeake improved to 2-0 with a four-point victory over Hamilton in the Nationals’ home opener. Meanwhile, the Rattlers had their return to Rochester ruined with a 13-9 setback against Long Island at Sahlen’s Stadium.

SIX PACK: After posting a 14-10 victory over the Hamilton Nationals on May 19, the defending MLL champion Chesapeake Bayhawks have won six straight games, dating back to last season. The Bayhawks, who finished the regular season with a 6-6 record last year, won their final two regular season games before earning two postseason victories for their third MLL title. Prior to the current six-game win streak, the Bayhawks had lost five games in a row.

TAKE US TO YOUR LEADER: Chesapeake Bayhawks defenseman Shawn Nadelen was named as the seventh head coach in Towson University men’s lacrosse history on Sunday afternoon. He was introduced as the head coach in a press conference on Tuesday. A 2001 graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Nadelen has spent the last seven years as a member of Coach Tony Seaman’s staff at Towson, including the last two years as the Associate Head Coach. Seaman resigned on May 9 after 13 years as the Tigers’ coach.

‘X’ MARKS THE SPOT: Boston Cannons midfielder Chris Eck was nearly perfect from the face-off ‘x’ in the Cannons’ one-point loss against Denver two weeks ago, winning 27 of 29 face-offs. He also recorded 11 ground balls in the 13-12 setback and also recorded a pair of assists. Eck, who opened the season by winning just 11 of 29 face-offs against Long Island, leads the MLL with 38 face-off wins through the first two weeks of the season. He also ranks second with 15 ground balls.

FACE IT: Long Island Lizards midfielder Peter Vlahakis needs just two face-off wins to become the MLL’s all-time leader. Vlahakis, who has 1,014 career face-off wins, would pass Paul Cantabene. Cantabene, who won 1,015 of 1,861 face-off attempts in his career, also ranks as the league’s all-time leader with 538 ground balls. Vlahakis has won 57.4 per cent of his face-off attempts in his career. Vlahakis, a graduate of Fairfield University, is in his eighth season of MLL service, including his sixth with the Lizards.

BICENTENNIAL: Rochester Rattlers attackman Casey Powell needs just three goals to become the seventh player in MLL history to score 200 career goals. A seven-year MLL veteran, Powell has not played in an MLL game since the 2008 season when he helped the Rochester Rattlers win the MLL title. The MLL’s all-time points leader, Powell has scored 197 career goals with 186 assists. The former Syracuse University standout ranks second on the MLL’s all-time assist list behind Conor Gill.

MAN UP: After leading the league in power-play efficiency in each of the last two seasons, the Denver Outlaws have wasted little time getting back to the top of the league rankings. The Outlaws are tied for first in the MLL with Boston with a .500 power play percentage; they are 5-for-10 with the man advantage through two games. In 12 games last year, the Outlaws posted a .400 power-play percentage and were tied for third in the MLL with 16 extra-man goals. They also had a .412 power-play percentage in 2009, scoring a league-high 21 extra-man goals.

MISTER ASSISTER: After opening the season with a goal and three assists, Denver Outlaws attackman Brian Langtry begins this weekend needing four assists to become the 10th player in MLL history to tally 100 career assists. A 10-year veteran, Langtry has recorded 96 assists in his career, including 10 in each of the last two years. Langtry has scored 139 career goals, including 16 two-point markers, along with his 96 assists.

CENTURY MARK: Long Island Lizards attackman Keith Cromwell became the seventh player in MLL history to play in 100 career regular season games when he played against the Rochester Rattlers on May 21. Cromwell, who is in his 10th year of MLL service, played in just five games last year for the Lizards. The former Rutgers University standout has scored 281 points in his career and could move into the top 10 on the career points list this season. He has scored 142 goals, including 15 two-point markers, with 124 assists in his career.